The fate of the former Providence Independent High School and its surrounding structures will take a little longer to determine.

The Webster County Board of Education at its meeting Monday night at Clay Elementary voted to reject both bids received on the property. Although the amount and details of the two bids hasn’t been disclosed by district administrators or the school board, The J-E has learned the two bidders were the city of Providence and Michael Regan. Providence Mayor Eddie Gooch has said previously the city is interested in acquiring everything except the high school structure itself.

Regarding the vote to reject the bids, Webster County School District Superintendent James Kemp said the board’s decision had nothing to do with the bidders, but instead was made due to concerns regarding the language of the original advertisements.

Following the vote, the board then approved a motion to rebid the property in three parcels rather than two. The first parcel includes the so-called “Doghouse” gymnasium, the former Providence Independent School District Board of Education office, band room facility, and the parking lot surrounding it. The second parcel consists of a former vocational building, and the third parcel to be bid is the former high school itself.

At previous meetings, some board members have expressed reluctance about selling off the property surrounding the actual high school building due to its condition. It’s been suggested that the building may need to be demolished due to its age and condition, and some board members said they don’t want to be left with just the liability of the actual high school.

On Tuesday, Kemp said he plans to talk to both of the original bidders about the decision.

Prior to the closed session, which also included a student hearing, pending litigation, and contract negotiations with personnel, the board kicked off Monday’s meeting with a dialogue session with the Clay Elementary Site-Based Decision-Making Council.

Clay Elementary Principal Georgiann McCord presented updated test score information, and told the board about new initiatives being implemented to help students perform better on state testing materials. One effort she mentioned specifically is the school’s “Response to Intervention” (RTI) program. Set up in a set of “tiers,” the program is designed to identify learning ability and provide additional support for students, based on the amount of help they need. Those considered the most in need work with a Special Education teacher and are guided through what’s known as individual education plans (IEP). At lower tier levels, students are enrolled in the district’s Trojan Academy and Extended School Services tutoring programs.

Board member E Carolyn Tucker asked McCord about student populations per classroom, and also presented a concern she said she had heard from a local resident concerning IEP support at the school.

“We do want these children,” McCord said in response to Tucker’s question about whether the school didn’t want to work with Special Education students. McCord said the RTI program was implemented with special education students in mind, and quickly added that the school relies on teachers who are trained to work with students in need of extra help.

“We need those Special Education teachers,” she said. “We need their expertise.”

In other business, the Webster County Board of Education:

•approved a revision to its policy concerning drug testing for students and faculty. Webster County School District Assistant Superintendent Alan Lossner said the change is meant to more accurately reflect how often the school is testing students, and at what grade levels. Webster County Board of Education Chairman James Nance said he wants the administration to look into doing the testing in-house to see if it would be cheaper for the district;

•heard an update from Webster County School District Assistant Superintendent Riley Ramsey concerning bids for installation of a security system at Sebree Elementary and the purchase of Smart Boards — teaching aides roughly the size of a traditional chalk or marker board that allow teachers to access interactive materials — for the district. According to information Ramsey provided, Clay, Providence, and Slaughters elementary schools have received all of the boards planned for distribution to them, and the project for the entire district is more than 75 percent completed. Right now, Dixon is still in need of seven, Sebree is scheduled to receive six more, and the high school is waiting on 34 additional Smart Boards. He also said Providence Elementary is in need of five more due to changes that allowed the school to add some additional classrooms. Each Smart Board costs approximately $3,800, bringing the total cost to complete the project to just under $200,000. Ramsey told the board he can fund completion of the Smart Board project at Sebree, or install a security system, and asked the board to direct him on which choice it decides to make. No action was taken on the discussion at Monday’s meeting;

•approved a school nutrition report card that had been presented at the end of the district’s nutrition hearing prior to the start of the board meeting; and

•approved a field trip request for the WCHS Mock Trial team and a contract with district auditor Mike Overby in the amount of $13,000. The two items were approved as part of a single motion under “action items by consent.”

Earlier in the meeting, the board received copies of grant proposal requests from local Family Resource coordinators for the coming school year, and recognized Governor’s Cup winners at Clay Elementary.